A Kiss Before Dying (1956)

A Kiss Before Dying (1956) is a colour noir female seeker hero psychopath murder thriller film noir which while unlikely in its telling is a credible and effective movie version of the Ira Levin novel of the same name.

Making full use of the colour processes of the day, and delivering two bright American worlds, that of the college campus and that of the modern industrialist, A Kiss Before Dying (1956) delivers where many of the promised excitements of the coloured film noirs of the 1950s fail. 

The world of the campus and the café bars where the students gather are perfectly in keeping with the brightness of hope that struck across suburban America at the time, and nothing better expresses the reach of the industrialist and their aspirations than the copper telephone, which is in line with the other copper colours around it, including the victim's copper car, and the copper banisters and swimming pool ladder in the Arizona home of the mining magnate, played by George Macready.

There is something in the morality of A Kiss Before Dying (1956) that makes it a film noir, that assures the collector that not every criminal murder thriller from the era must by definition be a film noir. The fact of the psychopathy of the killer is broadly sufficient to canonise this production, although Robert Wagner as Bud is not a super-clever so much as an opportunistic killer, and the forces of law, order and detection are not nearly as smart as they might have been in tracking him down.

Bud is greed driven as much as anything else, although once he murders once, he must murder again, and again. His is a darker character than many of the other murderers of his cinematic era, but other films of 1956 such as The Bad Seed and The Man Who Knew Too Much do not seem to get the noir label much, if at all.

The most typically noirish moments from A Kiss Before Dying (1956) are certainly when Ellen, played by Virginia Leith, embarks on a short-lived detective mission, into the night, so briefly, to find herself in a typically noir alley where shadows cut her in half and play on her nerves, as she is cornered by the male she is tailing.

This is typical female seeker hero noir, although much has been spilled on the subject of whether Ellen is a female detective hero or not, by Film Noir File and its article on this movie, in which many paragraphs of tense argument provide evidence that she is not as the novel states, and a part of the script 'a girl detective'.

The answer is not so definitive as this, and the better question is around why the author of the truly excellent Film Noir File, over the course of thirty paragraphs, seeks to make this point, his main aim being to disprove this claim made by Robert Miklitsch in his book The Red and the Black: American Film Noir in the 1950s (University of Illinois Press, 2017) that this is the case.

The author Dan Hodges, creator of Film Noir File does great work disproving this but can't overlook the fact that there are elements of this trope in this movie, and that although the pipe-wielding character of Gordon does take over the detective work done by Ellen, Ellen does certainly for a time 'play the detective' and does a much better job of it than anyone else, being the first to solve the wedding mystery, alerted to this by her sister's belt, and gloves, and blue scarf, etcetera.

Both men might be right, although if might be right, then Dan Hodges thirty paragraphs must prove something. Further questions must arise as to whether a character playing the detective would qualify under the far broader concept and trope of the female seeker hero. As it is Ellen who drives the solution, and who does the best part of the detection, and takes the most extreme physical risks, she has to be classed as a female seeker hero.

However, Hodges still insists as follows: 

In the film, Bud has already used Dwight’s typewriter to compose a suicide note. Bud makes Dwight sit in front of it. Standing on Dwight’s right side, Bud happens to see a framed Spanish language newspaper article with a photograph of Dwight holding a tennis racquet in his left hand. Bud steps around to Dwight’s left side so that (off camera) after he shoots Dwight in the left temple, he can place the gun in Dwight’s dominant hand. Ellen hears the shot and comes upstairs, but Bud gets away unseen. Bud’s note makes it seem that Dwight’s motive for killing himself was his guilty conscience about murdering Dorie, compounded by Ellen’s suspicion of him. The local chief of police credits Ellen with being right that Dorie didn’t kill herself. “You did it all,” he compliments her, adding, “Case open again, closed again, but for good this time.”

After Dwight’s death, Ellen returns to the Kingship house. Miklitsch describes and interprets the scene as follows, “Although Ellen returns safely home in a chauffeured black limousine, the long cypress shadows on the gravel driveway outside her father’s house suggest that the case is not quite closed yet.” (193) Who is going realize the case is still open? Who is going to solve the case? Will it be Ellen? To be a “girl detective,” to be a “private eye,” when the opportunity presents itself, she has to acknowledge the case isn’t closed and, therefore, she has to keep investigating until she cracks it. This isn’t what happens in the film, which is why Miklitsch misinterprets Ellen. (FIND IT AT: https://www.filmnoirfile.com/a-kiss-before-dying/)

What happens when Gordon takes over the detection is that Ellen resorts to 'I can't believe it' regarding her sister's death and Bud's involvement, and this is perfectly in keeping with one aspect of movie characterisation, insofar as love is blind.

A Kiss Before Dying (1956)

For both sisters love is exceptionally blind, as they both appear quite silly and ignorant in light of the evil before them, and in fact the premise of much of the glue that is holding this film together is based on the vulnerability and gullibility of women, when faced with male evil at the ultratoxic levels here expressed by murder.

Gordon has a pipe and this is about all that is required to hand him the authority to take over this situation. He is not a cop, of course, but 'works at the police station', making him something of the next best thing. That pipe however does a helluva lot of heavy lifting.

Dan Hodges writes:

If Miklitsch is correct that Ellen has “a nose for detection,” then it stands to reason she will be highly interested in Gordon’s revelation. Instead, her reaction is, “I don’t believe it.” Gordon replies, “Well, you’ll have to. His teammates dug up a news picture. There he was, and there was the date.” She says, “If he wasn’t [at the university], he couldn’t have killed her. If he didn’t kill her, why kill himself?” Gordon continues, “That’s it. So instead of a murder and a suicide, we have something else – two murders. Do you want to go a step further?” She responds, “The man who killed Dorothy is still free.” Gordon says, “That’s right…As far as I’m concerned, the case is just starting. I’ll keep you posted.” Presented with a golden opportunity to resume being a “girl detective,” Ellen rejects it. The role of the detective in the film is taken over by Gordon. 

And it is fair comment too, even if it is all geared towards 'proving' another noir commenter 'wrong', that is what appears to matter here. The summary is: 

1) Robert Miklitsch is wrong to claim that Ellen is a “girl detective”; 2) Gordon is the detective, not Ellen; and 3) Ellen, instead, is Bud’s loyal lover until he makes one mistake too many.

That Miklitsch is wrong is not such a certainty, for noir if anything is about the cross-analysis of tropes and how they stack up in any given movie. The film noir commenting business is just as cutthroat as the movies themselves, and the intellectual high ground seems to be all important, more important most of the time than assessing the material from multiple perspectives. Because it is a land of grey areas, noir attract a lot of this.

Set in the absolutely shining height of the 1950s, A Kiss Before Dying is yet a thriller that foreshadows many modern suspense films. Initially, the film presents itself as a glamorous teen flick, enhanced by its opening song, logos, and neon colours. This may serve to offer viewers into a false sense of security before revealing its true nature as a relentless thriller filled with immoral twists.

Robert Wagner stars as Bud Corliss, a college student driven by his obsession with wealth and luxury. Living with his widowed mother, Bud feels unfulfilled and uncertain about his future. His secret relationship with Dorothy Kingship (Joanne Woodward) represents his escape from a mundane life, as her father is extremely wealthy. However, when Dorothy becomes pregnant, Bud fears disinheritance and the prospect of working a menial job to support his new family.

Shot in cinemascope, the film's aspect ratio means that television does it a disservice as dialogues are conducted from time to time from either extreme of the screen. The color is 'de luxe', according to the credits, and the film's look is rich and bright.

Based on an Ira Levin novel, A Kiss Before Dying is well put together with a slinky and funky and grooveworthy jazz score, including the theme song playing on the jukebox during one of Bud's dates with Dory. The opening is impressive, with the camera panning around a student's bedroom, setting the scene. We hear a girl crying before Dory is revealed to be pregnant by Bud. She is willing to forego all material comfort if Bud will marry her, but he is only interested in her family's money.

The success of many a noir lies in these first few minutes, in which we know exactly what is happening. Robert Wagner's character Bud says he is 25, which might seem quite old for what looks like a 50s teen movie.

Urban predation and a noir alley in A Kiss Before Dying (1956)

Despite Bud being despicable, the audience is still drawn into his plan. He studies poisons in the university library and gains access to the chemistry lab to compose a suicide note in Spanish, which he gets Dory to write out in English, unaware she is writing her own 'suicide note'. Gerd Oswald's direction emphasizes body language throughout, highlighting Bud's flinch when Dory kisses him, which is great to see, although it remains incredibly frustrating that Dory and others don't see this too. That was thing with fifties noir, the evil was right there in suburban glory, in this case in full color too.

A young Robert Wagner portrays Bud as a slick, handsome villain without feelings. He feigns affection for women but is incapable of genuine emotion. He cajoles his mother (Mary Astor) into choosing a tie for him, only to change it when her back is turned. The director conveys information without words, using visual cues to build tension.

Bud's solution is to stage Dorothy's suicide, freeing himself from the unwanted responsibilities. The plan succeeds, allowing him to pursue Dorothy's older sister, Ellen (Virginia Leith), who remains unaware of his dark past. Rookie detective Gordon Grant (Jeffrey Hunter) enters the scene with nothing between his ears other than a pipe, slowly being shown the case for foul play in Dorothy's death and wondering about Bud's intentions with Ellen. As Grant pieces together the puzzle, the film intensifies with suspense and intrigue.

While A Kiss Before Dying evokes similarities to A Place in the Sun, again in material uploaded by Dan Hodges, a notable distinction is the portrayal of male affection. In A Place in the Sun, male characters undeniably love the women in their lives, whereas A Kiss Before Dying questions whether Bud or Leo Kingship can genuinely care for women, as they appear not to in any way.

Unlike George Eastman in A Place in the Sun, Bud lacks a supportive wealthy uncle. His only asset is his sheer determination, symbolized by his hunched shoulders, indicating his willingness to commit any act, including murder, to achieve his goals. The film's opening scene features a camera pan through Bud's bedroom, highlighting his ambition and disregard for Dory, who persists only as a party to his aspirations in the Kingship copper company.

Bud's working-class mother's lack of sophistication embarrasses him. The film's colors — orange, yellow, and light blue — contrast with the copper hues associated of Dory's sports car, Ellen's swimming pool, and her poolside phone, underscoring the objectification of these women as tools for his ambition, their father's ambition, and the ambitions of scriptwriters who need gullible victims to compose their noirish tales.

Dory serves as a means to an end, and Bud is willing to eliminate her if necessary, shifting his focus to Ellen. If killing Ellen becomes essential, Bud will proceed without marrying either of Leo's daughters. In Ira Levin's novel, Bud even attempts to marry a third sister, Marion, after eliminating Dory and Ellen.

Leo's transformation from a heartless to a compassionate father is central to the film's latter half. Dory and Ellen resent him for divorcing their sick mother after her "one little slip." Leo initially accepts Gordon's advice to avoid investigating Dorie's death to prevent rumours, further distancing himself from his daughters.

A Kiss Before Dying (1956) did not ship into the lobbies with many tag lines that are recorded truly for the ages, other than this rather tame one, which doesn't say much about the film at all:

Some secrets can't be kept ... they have to be buried !

The film's noir style is most evident in the scene where Ellen confronts Dwight. The high overhead shot, wet street, and shadows create a foreboding atmosphere, misleadingly suggesting Ellen's impending doom. However, Ellen's fierce resistance parallels her determination to uncover Dorie's murderer, ultimately leading to a reconciliation with Leo.

Arizone gas stations of noir in A Kiss Before Dying (1956)

In the film's climax, after surviving Bud's attack, Ellen and Leo share a moment of silent understanding and reconciliation. The conclusion centers on Leo's newfound compassion and Ellen's recognition of his transformation, rather than her relationships with Bud or Gordon. A Kiss Before Dying thus culminates in Leo's redemption and the restoration of familial bonds.

Critic Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times wrote a blistering indictment of the film's depiction of "mental cruelty":

I felt offended, even outraged; and ever since, I have been trying to figure out why. ... What bothered me so, I have decided, was the mental cruelty involved. And this is something rather new in pictures—the calculated, drawn-out, gloatingly sadistic torture of the mind. ... [M]ost moviemakers have sensed instinctively where to "draw the line." I cannot define "the line" precisely, but it has to do with using the art of suggestion—the "cutting away" to something else—to convey what should not be shown, and with the difference between good taste and bad taste. But what, precisely, should not be shown? You have your breaking point, I have mine. I only know that those two sequences in "A Kiss Before Dying" struck me personally as being beyond the pale and, in my capacity of reviewer, as being potentially harmful and pernicious for indiscriminate general viewing, particularly by teen-agers. But why single out this film? I think perhaps because the situations depicted, especially the first, were so real, so intimate, and involved such clean-cut American types. I think that I—and others—can take most of the other kinds of "suspense" in our stride, provided that they are conceived in the objective newsreel or documentary technique or as frankly "horror" stories. The distinction is a fine one, but it is there.

This film is a fascinating blend of the chilling and the merriness of 1950s aspirations, whether they be commercial or social, and even marital. One scene involves Bud and Dory having an intense conversation, suddenly interrupted by a middle-aged woman in a see-through blouse with a large bra, halting the conversation. 

Her appearance, seemingly irrelevant to the plot, adds a layer of incongruous humor that is quite odd. Additionally, Jeffrey Hunter's clumsy attempts to manipulate heavy glasses and an unlit pipe in an effort to appear mature are laughable, and as such he may be one of the very last young men to sport the pipe in detective and thriller movies.

Robert Wagner plays a psychopathic killer, and Jeffrey Hunter is a kind of math teacher-cop, Joanne Woodward portrays a rather wet and soft victim, who is nothing but a victim, and Virginia Leith is a more promising victim, and Mary Astor is a rather classless mom. The combination is strange and beneath the surface somewhat demented.

Weirder still, the film opens with perky titles suggesting a silly romantic comedy but quickly shifts to a long dialogue scene between Wagner and Woodward, performed in one take, talking about the most grim outcomes youth culture could bring about. The plot, filled with odd moments such as a pregnant woman tumbling without resulting in a miscarriage and a sixtieth woman in a see-through blouse sashaying through an intense dialogue, adds to its weirdness.

Bud plans to stage Dory's suicide to avoid his responsibilities and her disinheritance, with the Kingship family representing new wealth while Bud embodies growing greed. 

The film's strengths lie in its gripping plot and some standout performances, particularly from Wagner and Woodward. George Macready also delivers an enjoyable performance as the father of Dory and Ellen. The film's odd mixture of genres and memorable moments make it an intriguing entry in the noir stylings of the 1950s.

In a contemporary review for The Boston Globe, critic Cyrus Durgin wrote: "It seems to me that director Oswald, though he has his own notions of camera angles and scene detail, never got as much out of his competent actors as he ought to have done. None of the characters strikes me as real, none has much human warmth. It is as if they were suspended in a vacuum of unreality."

Reviewer Mildred Martin of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: "Endless gabble coupled with slow-motion directing dissipate whatever suspense might ordinarily be suspected ... By the time arsenic fails and the girl gets pushed off the roof of a 12-story building, all one can do is settle down to an endurance test. For dullness gives way to the idiotically preposterous."

Variety commented: "This multiple-murder story is an offbeat sort of film, with Robert Wagner portraying a calculating youth who intends to allow nothing to stand in his way to money ... Gerd Oswald's restrained direction suits the mood ... Wagner registers in killer role. Woodward is particularly good as the pregnant girl, and Virginia Leith acceptable as her sister. Jeffrey Hunter is lost as a part-time university professor responsible for the final solution of the crimes. Mary Astor and George Macready are okay as Wagner's mother and the girls' father."

A Kiss Before Dying (1956)

Directed by Gerd Oswald

Genres - Crime, Drama, Mystery-Suspense, Romance, Thriller  |   Sub-Genres - Psychological Thriller Film  |   Release Date - Apr 20, 1956  |   Run Time - 94 min. 

Niagara is a full color film noir

There is no rule of criticism which states that a film noir has to be in color.  

The fact that most film noirs are in black and white is probably down to their budget, and the times in which they were made. 

We all agree today that film noir is properly associated with black and white, but since nobody was saying: "Hey let's make a film noir!" in the 1950s the use of black and white was probably not a deliberate and conscious decision.  I'll deal with colorisation elsewhere, bub.

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

Leave Her To Heaven is not just a color film noir, but it is a femme-noir, or a woman's noir, call it what you will. There are some pretty dark things going on in Leave Her To Heaven, and I can't think of many films of the period that deal with the murder of a child.  It's one of Gene Tierney's best roles, outside of Laura. Tightly plotted, tolerably-well acted and above all, beautifully photographed Leave Her To Heaven splits the critics on whether it is a film noir, but all of that aside it's still much darker than most things that were made in 1945, despite the Technicolor brilliance, vibrant music, moral ambiguities and a cold and jealous story.  It also features Vincent Price, and can be seen for free on YouTube. Always a bonus.

Rope (1948)

Niagara (1953)

Hell's Island (1955)

I Died a Thousand Times (1955)

Slightly Scarlet (1956)

A Kiss before Dying (1956)

Accused of Murder (1956)

Vertigo (1958)

The first thing that you'll notice about this list of color film noirs is that it is pretty much confined to the later period of film noir.  This is for technological reasons as much as anything.  There are also some bankable names on the list, two of the films being directed by Alfred Hitchcock.  The Hitchcock films are interesting, because they often come up in discussions regarding their credentials. Generally Alfred Hitchcock is held to be not a film noir director, but for the purposes of this page, he's in the canon.

So you bums, here is a short list of a few of the color films noirs out there.  Take up your arguments with the boss.

Rope is sometimes overlooked and viewed by folks as an interesting experiment in technique, and likewise doesn't appear in every list of what is and what isn't film noir.   It's about two gay men, played by John Dall and Farley Granger, who strangle a friend for the thrill of it and hide the body in a big trunk just before a dinner party.  At the party are some of the victim's family and friends, and they also serve the food on the trunk that contains the body.  It doesn't sound like typical film noir but Rope is not typical of anything at all!  Rope gets on to this list therefore, by being a renegade, as well being dark, perverse and offering only the most catastrophic fates for its characters. Perhaps it's more of a crime thriller?  If it is, it's one which will make you squirm, while also trying its damndest to have you sympathise with its villainous leads.

An unhappy couple and an illicit love and an ample share of shadows and stylistic camera work give Niagara (1953) its film noir credentials.  A morbid and lustful journey into murder, Niagara is a slightly strange crossover for film noir fans, who are used to black and white in urban settings.  Here of course they are regaled not just by a unique acting turn from Marilyn Monroe, who is largely known for comedy, but by scenery and full-on Technicolor. Sex and its destructiveness is a common film noir theme, and this is played out in Niagara to the max.  Rose is a femme fatale, seductively dressed, hypocritical, and scornful, while George her troubled husband, has just been discharged from an army mental hospital.  In fact, George is a classic film noir damaged-goods type of ex-soldier.  We also see in the Cutlers of course, full-on American conventionality, and this contrast between a discordant sexual relationship and the sanctity of the family unit is important to the mood of film noir.

After 99 River Street and Kansas City Confidential, both of which pack a hefty noir-filled punch, bruiser John Payne teamed up with director Phil Karlson for Hell's Island . . . this time in VistaVision!   John Payne was by this stage already stumbling into the latter portion of his career, and he doesn't seem to cut it as the hero here, and in fact he was probably better when he was an angry dude, as he was in the two above-mentioned thrillers  The plot of Hell's Island is pretty ropey, and also somewhat familiar.  Think of The Maltese Falcon set in Mexico, and you'll begin to grasp the basics.  Decent prints of this widescreen-wonder seem hard to come by, but if you still need a fix of color-noir it'll tick the boxes for you.

I Died a Thousand Times, which features Jack Palance and Shelley Winters, certainly has a film noir title.  Behind that title, the story is good enough although it is basically a remake of High Sierra: Mad Dog Earle is fresh out of the joint and he drives west to get involved in a heist masterminded by fading kingpin Lon Chaney, Jr. En route, he meets a family of Oakies and is smitten with their granddaughter.  Arriving at the cabins where the rest of gang are holed up, Mad Dog gets involved in a few hotheaded rows, much in the fashion of High Sierra, and a love triangle. The widescreen does offer panoramic views of the mountains and the desolate surroundings, and so yes, the scenery comes off pretty good.  But it's  a shame for guys like Lee Marvin, who don't really get to shine, and instead of claustrophobia (High Sierra) we have cinematography, which is not much of a substitute.

James M. Cain  gave film noir some of its most memorable hits, with Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce and The Postman Always Rings Twice all adapted from his books.  In the mid-50s he had a second wind with Serenade, Love's Lovely Counterfeit, and this full color production, Allen Dwan's Slightly Scarlet. Legendary noir director of photography John Alton brings his black and white talents to bear in bright colors here, and John Payne does what he does best, and plays a touchy and sullen sullen mobster besieged by twin flame-topped temptations Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl, who has just got out of prison and plays a pretty crazy man-eater.  This is late film noir in chintzy and lurid overdrive, with a hefty dose of psychology and action, making it a true color film noir with a deal of light and dark, and a few tepid moments which have secured its place in the forgotten bin of 50s film.

A Kiss Before Dying stars Robert Wagner as an ambitious student who is courting Joanne Woodward so he can access her father's mining fortune. When he discovers that she's pregnant he realizes she is quite likely to be disinherited - and so he murders her. Then, in classic scuzzball film noir fashion, he reaches out to her sister, played by Virginia Leith, and tries to marry her in order to get his hands on the loot. Mary Astor makes an appearance as the girls' mother, and despite CinemaScope and Deluxe Color, this is a treat of a film noir, and probably one of the best on this list.  Robert Wagner was rarely better as the psychopathic killer, and many say there are similarities between A Kiss before Dying and Psycho, which came four years later.  The color lends everything to the sumptuous mid-50's all-American feel, with the open-top cars, drug stores, shiny, well-oiled hair and the girls in big skirts. Don't be fooled by the surface however - this is a twist-laden thriller with a dark and brooding side.

This hard-to-find film noir of the mid-fifteis was one of a handful made using Republic Pictures  widescreen process, NATURAMA. The reason that Accused of Murder was made in color at all and indeed, in fabulous Naturama, was that it was intended as a star vehicle for Vera Ralston.  They should definitely have offered Vera better material than this, which is included here only because it has the bare bones of a film noir attitude.  Vera Ralston was married to the boss of Republic Pictures however, and Accused of Murder rolls out of the projection room as a straight forward crime thriller. Even though Accused of Murder was written by W.R. Burnett of The Asphalt Jungle fame and features Lee Van Cleef, it blunders along without really generating much interest to an eventual and much needed denouement at about the 78 minute mark.

Before anyone gets off their seat and starts throwing cigars at the screen I gotta admit that — OK! — Vertigo (1958) by Alfred Hitchcock is not a film noir.  By the exacting standards of those of us that blog incessantly about these things, Vertigo is perhaps the first neo-noir — that which came after film noir.  This is because Vertigo used the conventions of noir to different ends.  It's true that the dark, angular city of film noir is not present in Vertigo, and it is replaced with a golden-lit sequoia forest and shining white apartments.  Even the night scenes in Vertigo are not black, but appear tinted with spectral blues.  Indeed, Vertigo is a feast of color, and what Alfred Hitchcock seems to be proving here is that film noir isn't all about the surface stuff — the shadows and the limitations of scene — but that the essence of film noir is in the dread which arises from characters lost in a world that is sometimes unjust, sad and violent.

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